Ameera fund run by Sharjah’s top humanitarian organisations has allocated Dh4.4 million to support a cancer hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan.
A global fund run by Sharjah’s top humanitarian organisations has allocated Dh4.4 million to support a cancer hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, it was announced on Monday.
A project led by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah; Chairperson of The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF); and Founder and Royal Patron of the Friends Of Cancer Patients (FOCP) – the Ameera Fund will allow Pakistan’s Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) to provide surgical oncology services for the first time.
With the Ameera grant – a global fund run collaboratively by FOCP and TBHF – two operating rooms at the hospital shall be fitted with state-of-the-art equipment by December this year. Once complete, around 2,500 cancer patients are expected to benefit from a wide range of high-quality surgical treatment options.
The fund allocation followed Sheikha Jawaher’s visit to the SKMCH&RC in Lahore in February this year, when she also met with several other humanitarian organisations.
The SKMCH&RC is one of the biggest hospitals for cancer treatment in Pakistan, and the fund will help the centre achieve its goal to offer finacial support to 75 per cent of its patients.
“The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar, represents a window of hope to tens of thousands of cancer patients in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and across other parts of Pakistan, particularly low-income patients who cannot afford to pay for the treatment. We consider every contribution, no matter how big or small, as a step forward to fostering the vision on which the hospital was established, while offering hope to our patients,” Dr Faisal Sultan, CEO of the SKMCH&RC, said, as he expressed gratitude for the Ameera Fund contribution.
Launched by Sheikha Jawaher, the Ameera Fund honours the contributions of the late humanitarian activist, Ameera BinKaram, in supporting cancer patients in the UAE and abroad. It seeks to improve cancer care across the world, be it through research, capacity building, prevention, and treatment.
Sawsan Jafar, chairperson of FOCP’s Board of Directors, said the latest Ameera project would contribute to supporting the noble endeavors of SKMCH&RC and boost its capabilities to offer high-quality cancer surgery to thousands of patients annually.
The project, she added, also reflects the integrated efforts of Sharjah’s humanitarian institutions like FOCP and TBHF to identify and support various social needs outside the UAE.
Maryam Al Hammadi, director of TBHF, said: “Our efforts stem from our commitment to guaranteeing the basic human rights of individuals, no matter their gender, age, socioeconomic backgrounds, nationality, or faith.”
Originally published at khaleej times